31 dic 1159 año - Stavelot Triptych

Descripción:

12th century
Byzantine (Constantinople) and Mosan (Belgian)

small Byzantine reliquaries nested within larger Mosan triptych imitating Byzantine style. Larger format reflects more theatrical western liturgy. Relics of the True Cross, exclusively controlled by Byzantines, were sold in the 12th and 13th centuries as empire declined; this was departure from earlier superiority in gift-giving. Narrative of discovery of the True Cross is shown. Opulence and imitation attest to relic's authenticity